The Constant Gardener Review

by [email protected] (dnb AT dca DOT net)
September 21st, 2005
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2005 David N. Butterworth

*** (out of ****)

    While an adaptation of a 2001 John Le Carré novel might not seem the obvious next project from the Oscar(r)-nominated director of "City of God," Fernando Meirelles manages to make what might have been a straightforward political thriller his own. Meirelles's technique--his bravura camerawork and crisscross editing--aren't as flashy or necessarily noticeable as they were in his stunning 2002 Brazilian film debut but they're there nonetheless, heightening the tension between the combatants, imbuing the film with a realistic world vision, especially in the crowded marketplaces, and bringing--romantically as well as tragically--the relationship between Tessa (Rachel Weisz) and Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) to the fore. It's a technique that sets "The Constant Gardener" apart from your typical Jason Bourne spy fare. Set in a remote area of Northern Kenya the film backtracks from activist Tessa's suspicious (and easily foretold) death to the events leading up to the incident in which her husband, an unassuming English diplomat and, yes, constant gardener, begins to suspect a major cover- up on the part of the British High Commission. Could they be linked to a global pharmaceutical company that treats "disposable" AIDS patients with experimental drugs? Tessa tries to find out, fatally. The flashback structure works exceedingly well--knowing Tessa's fate early on does not spoil the outcome as one might expect since it's the getting there that proves fruitful--and Weisz and Fiennes both bring a secular credibility to their roles, she with her pregnant prosthesis and brash appeal, he with his emaciated forlornness. And while the crimes against humanity are never really quantified, in Meirelles's world at least, quality would appear to be a constant.

--
David N. Butterworth
[email protected]

Got beef? Visit "La Movie Boeuf"
online at http://members.dca.net/dnb

More on 'The Constant Gardener'...

---

Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.